Paint Blistering - Bathroom

After being in the house for about 7 years, we decided to repaint. We hired
a professional painter. Everything came out fine. A few months later, the
paint in the smallest bathroom started to blister. We had used the best
paint available for bathrooms. Prior to repainting, there was no blistering,
though the tape on some seams had started to peel a bit. The painter came
back out, scraped off everything that was loose, reprimed and repainted. A
few months later- same problem. He came out again. This time, we replaced
the exahust fan with a stronger fan and vented it to the eave. He scraped,
primed, painted. This time we let the primer dry for a month (and no
blistering). He then painted, and we let it dry for a week before using the
shower in that bathroom. A few months later- same problem. In each case, the
blistering occurred in the spring or fall, when the heat pump/ac was least
active, so the air was not drying very quickly.
Anyway... What is the least expensive way to fix this problem? Wallpaper is
fine, if that will work. Our painter doesn't think it will, but I am not so
sure of his knowledge now. I don't know if the previous owners had used an
oil-based (or other non-latex) paint prior. Oh, one other intersting thing-
when he scraped the last time, in some areas the paint came off all the way
down to the greeenboard. No mold or mildew, just blistering like crazy.

Hmm. Someone will disagree with me here based on their own luck using latex,
but personally, I would never use latex paint in a damp environment. You
could still have problems with oil paint if the prep work wasn't done right,
but barring that, oil will always hold up better. Do whatever you can to
assure perfect conditions such as temperature, even if it means you have to
wait till spring so you can open the windows & prevent damaging your brain
cells from the fumes.

best
using
used
the
crazy.
latex,
right,
to
What kills me is that I asked this guy about that, and he said that latex is
no problem- he uses it all the time. He would probably come back out again
if I asked him to, but he's already convinced me that he has no clue- so why
bother.... Well, onward... What is involved with the prep for oil? Scraping
down to bare geenboard is probably not realistic. Just scrape off whatever I
can? I will defintely wait till spring.

The original paint was a base with a color sponged on. Either one may have
been a gloss, I'm not sure. I have a hunch the sponged on was gloss. How can
I test the original now that it's been covered so many times? And if it was
oil, can I fix this mess by scraping off as much of the new latex as
possible and then painting with oil?

Is it peeling only in one area? Same place after repaint? If so, I
would be looking for moisture intrusion from behind the wall. It should
not be that localized if it is faulty paint job, unless the wall wasn't
cleaned properly - soap scum, mildew, greasy hands will cause poor
adhesion but shouldn't make the paint blister.

It's blistering everywhere- the closer to the shower, the more it blisters,
so I doubt it's a leak. When the heat pump is off, we keep the blower on to
keep the air moving. Just leaving the door open clears it out in 10-20
minutes. I was hoping the exhaust fan would suck out the moisture as it is
generated.

Mine does, but it's a small bathroom, and the previous owner said he
installed a fan rated for a room twice the size. Considering the way it
performs, and the fact that it rattles the glassware in the kitchen, I think
he did the right thing.

to
10-20
it
off
pricey
Well, it's like I always say- Hindsight is 20/20, but foresight is only
50/50. The new fan was well over $100, and the "right" fan was probably
around $300 or so. Anyway, the real problem in all of this, is, I suspect,
the painter.

If it is the painter's fault, how do you explain the tape peeling before the
painter touched it?
Paint is not water proofing, so when you get moisture under the paint you
are going to have a problem.
You either have a plumbing leak, a wall or roof leak or your fan is not
sucking enough steam out of the bathroom.

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then

Well....take lots of time to interview people who can show you how to do the
wallpaper the right way. The wallpaper in my bathroom was also installed in
the shower area, above the tile which ends at about 6 feet. The previous
owners installed it two years ago and the edges are beginning to peel. At
this point, it's just enough to get a fingernail under, which seems like NOT
enough to get a tool under to "inject" more adhesive. The issue is not
ventilation. During a shower, with the bathroom door closed, the fan keeps
the room very dry, even downright chilly. But, a fan can't do anything about
water droplets that are splashed around in the shower itself.
I'm beginning to think wallpaper within the shower stall is about as smart
as putting it on the outside of a boat's hull.

There are really good quiet fans now, such as Panasonic, for $100-150.
Also
timer switches. Both well worth the money. Be sure the timer switch is
for
inductive loads or it will ruin the fan. Don't ask how I know!

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